Synchronicity
by IceAndWhite
Summary: AU Because she keeps meeting him, she tells herself that they are mere coincidences. Zeki / Kaname x Yuuki
1. 12:00

**Synchronicity**

**Disclaimer: **I, in no way or form, own the manga "Vampire Knights." This applies to all future chapters.

**Summary: **AUBecause she keeps meeting him, she tells herself that they are mere coincidences. Zeki / Kaname x Yuuki

**AN:** I usually stick to the Bleach or Naruto sections, but an idea suddenly popped up in my head! Hurrah! But alas, it fitted neither Bleach nor Naruto characters (the ones I write about anyways), and I turned over to this place. First chapter is mostly filled with scenes of Zero, Kaname, and Yuuki, so there won't be too many of the other characters until the next chapter. Enjoy : )

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Chapter 1—12:00

Rain.

Bluntly stated, there was a lot of it, to the amount where there contained an excess of water dripping down the ends of her auburn hair. Yuuki grabbed a lock of her hair and twisted. The water flowed out easily, dripping to the damp ground. She continued her futile actions, knowing it was foolish comb the water out of her hair when she was standing directly in the rain. She had forgotten to bring an umbrella, the most essential of tools, and as a consequence, was left dripping wet along the front gates of the academy.

Her body shivered, no matter how tight she hugged herself. Silently, she berated herself for being forgetful. How was it that among all her classmates, she was the only one who had forgotten to bring her umbrella? It sounded preposterous in her ears because, certainly, Yuuki Cross was not a forgetful girl.

The rain droned on and on, constantly dropping its weight onto her head. She covered her head for a moment with her hand, but found it useless to continue. Water couldn't be blocked, she supposed.

But then again, the girl realized something rather important. She did not have an umbrella, yet she was insistent upon waiting in the rain. She splashed her boots in the water; they, at least, were waterproof. She sighed. There was little she could do to improve her condition. Looking at the towering structure of the academy, she knew that she would rather wait out in the rain than be caught alone within the school's gates. Though gigantic and majestic, the building only served to frighten Yuuki to the point where she irrationally would avoid staying in the buildings after school had ended. Foolish it may have sounded, but Yuuki was proud to admit her fears, if it meant not having to face them.

"Where is he…?" Yuuki's voice was subtle against the crash of the storm. There remained an underlying tone of fret in her voice, which was inconsistent with the situation. Though she stood there, dripping wet, never once did the girl feel any sense of anger. Instead, Yuuki closed her eyes and muttered a few words of prayer to ensure the safety of her companion. It was only after several minutes that she reopened her eyes again. She leaned forward and crooked her neck, trying to peer beyond the walls that surrounded the school until finally, a bolt of thunder crashed. She flinched, slipping against the slippery floor and plummeting towards the ground. Yuuki closed her eyes, waiting for the fall that would never happen. A pair of arms embraced and waist, causing her to flinch and step back.

"Kaname…" The words faded from her lips. She forced a smile to her lips. "Zero Kiryu. Nice to meet you." Already, she flinched from her words. That was an understatement. Of course she knew Kiryu Zero. How could she not? It was a well-known fact that the Cross family and Kiryu family were bonded by a family feud. In fact, she could probably name at least ten Kiryu family members if she really wanted to right now.

She eyed the boy with a timid eye, taking note that his hair, silver and gleaming, was drenched in rain as well. He didn't seem to care much though, and appeared to be observing her.

"W-What?" she mustered up, fidgeting with her hands. She twisted the hem of her jacket, though she felt it did her little use.

"Why are you standing here, Cross?" His voice, calm and solemn, greeted her as if she was any normal person that he had met. His eyes, she noticed, remained unfocused and away from her.

She refused to answer his question immediately, choosing to lean forward again to check if her companion was to arrive anytime soon. Disappointment flooded her when she saw no such person and was forced to lean in again, where she was mere feet away from her family's enemy. It was pure misfortune that she managed to slip again with her gigantic boots. She didn't know exactly if it was good or bad luck that enabled Kiryu Zero to catch her in his arms again.

She swallowed. Her face was now mere inches away from his. And, of course, it was all her fault that it happened as well.

"Are you still that clumsy?" he asked, though his tone was nowhere near joking. Her eyebrows narrowed immediately and she bolted back into her original position, away from the warmth of his arms.

She stamped her foot. "Might I remind you, Kiryu Zero, that we've only formally talked once when I was seven." She waited for an answer, but found none that the silver-haired boy was willing to give. She looked up, "And might I ask for your purpose in being here? School has long ended."

"What is your reason for being here, then?"

She huffed, taking a deep breath before releasing it back into the atmosphere. Now that she had a calmer sense of her surroundings, after being rudely shocked by Kiryu's arrival, she noticed that he had neglected to carry an umbrella. "I feel that I do not have to explain my actions to you. You are neither a relative nor a close friend." There was a familiar pout resting on her lips, though she felt that it was more than likely an unsuccessful attempt at showing her disdain. Most of her friends had claimed it to be innocuous.

"They why should I?" he replied, his demeanor still composed and calm. She took a deeper breath, though it did little except for zap the warmth out of her body even further. Her fists were tightened, not by her current anger, but by her current circumstances. There was a point at this moment where she figured she wouldn't be able to feel her fingers anymore. She grimaced at that thought, wiggling them. They felt weird.

"Here," said he. A grayish trench coat was thrust into her arms. It looked fairly thin itself, but on further inspection, she noticed that it was water-proof. She laughed inwardly at herself, chiding herself for thinking someone else had forgotten it was to rain today.

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Wear it," he said.

"Why?" she asked. Nonetheless, the perturbed girl slipped her arms in the opening of the oversized coat. When she was done, the hems of the coat fell to the ground, the ends deep into the puddles of rain.

He didn't answer. His head was slightly turned towards to the left. Without a warning, she felt his gaze on her and a clatter of footsteps. He was moving away from her. She twitched her eyes, grabbing the coat, about to remove it when she realized that he had long disappeared.

"Weirdo," she said to nobody in particular.

"Did anyone upset you, Yuuki?" She recognized this voice to be Kaname almost instantly.

Yuuki shook her head and smiled, "No."

Kaname looked thoughtfully at her, his umbrella held above her head. "Have you been waiting for me all this time?"

"N-No," she said. After a moment, she changed her mind, "Well, maybe a little…" She felt a hand ruffle at her wet hair, allowing the little drops to spill over her face. Kaname instantly took out his handkerchief, wiping the droplets on her face.

"Let's go, then."

Yuuki nodded, unconsciously shoving her hands into the oversized overcoat. She took care to follow Kaname closely, always staying in the circumference of the umbrella. His long strides were slow, as if he was waiting for her to catch up. But then he slowed down and turned to her, eyes ever so majestic. "Did someone give you that overcoat? I hope it isn't a boyfriend, or I shall be sad…" His voice sounded thoughtful.

Yuuki felt her heart flutter at his concern. She shook her head frantically, "N-no, just a friend. I-I had to practically beg them for this." She laughed lightly, scratching her head.

Kaname nodded, "I see." Yuuki watched his face, but could find no sense of distrust. He began walking, but this time, it was Yuuki who had stopped.

"Kaname-senpai, I was wondering," she twisted the side of the coat with her fingers, "do you have a girlfriend?" When he didn't answer her within a few seconds she released her hold on the coat and waved her arms in front of her chest, "I was just wondering. You don't have to answer me."

He smiled and even chuckled, the merry sound flowing to her ears. "No, I don't."

She nodded her head happily at that, quickly flying over to his side once more. When she glanced up to his face once more, she could spot an unfamiliar mirth in his majestic eyes. She squirmed. Was he teasing her? But he never laughed, nor did he joke. Instead, she felt him grab her hand.

"To make sure you don't run off, Yuuki," he said, in that ever so polite tone of his. Kaname Kuran, heir to the Kuran clan. She had known him ever since she was in diapers and could crawl on her two knees. The Kuran and Cross family were closely entwined in layers and layers of history that she could only imagine. Just like the Kiryu family, the Cross family had been in contact with the Kuran family for centuries. The only difference was that they did not utterly despise the other clan and wanted to exterminate every member.

"That coat…"

Yuuki snapped back to her surroundings, to Kaname's questioning voice. "Yes?"

He shook his head. The smile was back on his face. "Nothing. I must have imagined it."

She nodded, a bit uneasy now. It was then that she realized that there really was no valid reason as to why Kiryu Zero would volunteer to let her wear his coat. There must have been some unseen danger hidden in the coat somewhat. She had a strong urge to simply take off the grayish trench coat, but didn't. Kaname was there, and she did not want to raise his suspicions that she had been alone with the enemy.

When they reached the front of her mansion, she was forced to say farewell to Kaname. She always felt that it was the worst part of the trip, when they departed. But as usual, she would wave that extremely foolish with her hands and wait at the gates, until his back would disappear.

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Her lunch tray sat idly on the lunch table. The steam flew rapidly away from her hot chocolate drink. The rest of her lunch, cold salad and soup, was not the most appealing of meals. Like usual, she kept a watchful eye for the light hair of Kaname. Her back was slightly arched, always ready to move at any given moment. But, it seemed that today would lead to disappointment. She stared dully at her soup, spinning the liquid instead with a metal spoon. She released it finally, sighing.

Kaname was nowhere to be seen. Trying to get a better of the cafeteria's surroundings, she stood up and began to peer across the rows of the tables. She leaned forward, and in a twist of fate, a tray of lunch fell upon her. She felt herself fall to the ground, her head landing harshly on the cold cement of the room. Right after, she heard the metal tray drop as well, a few inches from her hand. The hot soup soaked through her shirt, along with the salad's dressing.

"Are you okay?" The voice was frantic. Yuuki looked up to see an underclassman. It was a girl.

She nodded weakly, stumbling to get back on her feet. She brushed aside the liquid as much as she could manage. Looking over to the fallen lunch, she looked back towards her own. She ignored the underclassman's panicked cries and instead, walked over to her tray. She held it with both her hands, walking backing to the underclassman's spot. The girl closed her eyes, as if she was prepared to suffer the same fate.

"Here," said Yuuki, "I wasn't hungry anyways." Without another warning, she thrust her tray into the girl's hands and escaped from the scene. She arrived in the restroom quickly, hurrying to rid her uniform on the ugly stains.

The water rushed out of the faucets. She took off her jacket, leaving only her t-shirt on. Immediately, the effects of the cold weather were apparent to her skin. But it would have to do. She continued to rinse out the oily dressing and soap. When she felt that she had done her best, she wrung out the water and unwrinkled her jacket, sighing softly. She exited the restroom, turning left to head for her next class. With the amount of luck she had, it would only be a few more minutes before the bells would ring. And after all that, she still was not able to see Kaname.

She pouted, dragging her feet against the cement floor. However, her head soon perked up when she spotted the familiar color of Kaname's hair. He was here! Feeling sneaky, she tiptoed on her feet in an attempt of a surprise attack. Her body stuck close to the walls to avoid minimal danger of being seen. When she was within a few feet, she turned her head to greet him, but the greeting never came. Her eyes widened at the scene and instead, she dropped her jacket.

With her heart beating, she turned away from the scene and ran, never carefully to notice where she was going. Along midway, she might have heard Kaname call her, but she did not pay attention to his words. She merely kept running, feeling the cold air wash through her wet t-shirt. Eventually, when she was out of breath, she found herself in an empty corridor, tears running down her face.

_He was kissing somebody._

Something snapped in her mind. She couldn't quite place it, but she wondered if she could somehow rid herself of the ugly memory she had seen just minutes ago. Her arms held the walls for support and she was panting, heavily. She dropped to her knees entirely after a few more moments. Her surroundings were blurred. With the back of her hand, she wiped away her tears hastily.

"I take it that you're not here to return my trench coat." The tone of voice was nonchalant.

The voice stunned her and for a moment, the tears stopped. She glanced up weakly, blinking away the tears. They rolled down her cheek, eventually dropping to her shirt.

"K-Kiryu-kun."


	2. 1:00

**AN:** Hope you guys like this chapter. It's a bit longer than the first one.

Chapter Two - 1:00

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Kiryu Zero leaned against the cool surface of the brick wall, his head slightly tilted towards the direction of the crying girl. His arms were folded against his chest. His eyes, though grey, did not look the least clouded. Instead, they seemed to emit a glow of serenity that spilled across the rest of his face, providing him a look of tranquility. Yuuki felt his eyes land upon her face and they slightly hardened.

"I-It isn't what it looks." Yuuki insisted with the last bit of her strength. She frantically wiped away her tears that spilled messily across her face. Unfortunately, since her hands were still wet from washing her hands, it managed to make her face look even moister.

To her annoyance, he remained silent. His eyes were still fixed upon her face and because of that, she felt as if she was a specimen under examination. But he spoke, though it was nothing that Yuuki could have prepared for. She had expected a question of concern and if not, since their families were enemies, at least an indication that he knew she was sad.

"What are you doing here?" The question, she suspected, was probably not meant to provoke her. It was a simple statement of curiosity. He wanted to know why she was here.

But why did she have to go and do that? Why did she have to scream and cry out like there was no tomorrow?

"You don't understand anything," she whispered over and over again, almost as if reciting the words to herself. "And you dare to ask me such a stupid question." Her voice was slight raised then, to the point where she was surprised by the strength her tone still carried. It was foolish and may have seemed rude of her to lash out at the Kiryu member for asking such an ordinary question.

But, something had cracked in her and she needed to rid herself of the horrible image. Kaname was someone she had long admired, being the one who had taught her the simplicities of life. It had been expected that perhaps, she would one day date him. Then the two of them would proceed to join hands in marriage for the rest of their days and die happily of old age. And she would die first, so that she would never have to experience the pain of separation.

"Of course I don't understand. You still didn't answer my question, Cross."

She didn't know if Kiryu was simply being honest or if he was being sarcastic. She turned swiftly to meet his eyes again, spinning on her shoes. Peering into them, she found them to be just as serious as they had been as ever.

He was a constant in her life. Though Yuuki never met the Kiryu member for more than a few moments, she always found him to be slightly eccentric from the average human. For one, he was a lot quieter…though she couldn't quite figure out why he would suddenly talk so much.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" His voice sounded so unnatural while he struggled with these questions. It seemed as if he was not used to asking such kinds of questions. When he walked over to her side, she felt herself take a few steps back involuntarily. She remembered her father's words clearly in her words; the Kiryu clan would kill if given the opportunity. So, to her relief, Zero soon stopped in his steps and was at least a foot away from her. The temptation to turn and run away still seemed pleasant.

His nonchalant face was unreadable. She was still unable to discern whether his extent was to prank her or not. But, at the very least, he was no laughing at her. The tears, she realized, had started up again.

Kaname was with another blond girl, kissing privately in the hallway. She cupped her cheeks with her hands, looking blindly towards the ground, lips slightly parted. Her mind was stubbornly telling her to go back, so that she would be able to demand an explanation from Kaname. But her heart twisted and whined; it did not want to her to go back, for fear of being hurt with an answer that would not have been ideal.

In fact, this decision was more important than Yuuki would have expected. Her choice, as she would soon find out, would affect her family and two other families on a mass-scale.

"You really are a brainless girl, aren't you?" There were the accusations that Kiryu spoke with that condescending voice of his. Yuuki pouted, the familiar frown sketched on her face. Her lips were curved downwards slightly, in an attempt to look annoyed rather than sad.

"You're only one year my senior," she said, "Don't make it sound as you know everything because you don't."

To her surprise, the normally unresponsive boy sighed. "Is that all you can say, Cross?" He tucked his hands into his pockets. "This is boring." To emphasize his words, he yawned, covering his mouth with one of his hands. He began walking again and didn't stop when he neared Yuuki. Noticing her tense body, he patted on top of her hair, ruffling her hair. He laughed, softly. "Don't worry Cross. I don't plan to kill you, today. So, don't worry anymore." He continued to walk past her, entering another corridor of the school. She could hear his fading footsteps in the distance between they too were gone and she was once again in pure silence. She closed her eyes, feeling the burn of her eyes. She had cried too much and was not suffering the undeniable consequences.

_So, don't worry anymore._

Kiryu's words echoed faintly in her head.

"I'm not the least bit worried," she remarked, to not one in particular. Still, she turned around, catching the last bit of his shadow until he completely disappeared. She faced the wall again and the silence filled her ears. It was as if Kiryu had never been here, as if he had never existed. She shivered.

"Yuuki." The person appeared tired and out of breath, but nevertheless, Yuuki recognized the voice's owner instantly. Kaname. She looked silently once more at where Kiryu's shadow once was. Silently, she wondered if she would be in this situation if she had followed him.

"You're shivering. You've left your jacket on the ground." said Kaname in his caring voice.

Yuuki shook her head. Her voice had lost the ability to speak. And it was hard enough to avoid his eyes. Once, it had been so easy to look straight at Kaname. She flinched when she felt him place his own jacket around her. Kaname's hands retreated from her shoulder. And, to her fear, one of his hands touched her chin, tipping her face upwards so she would have to meet his fearsome eyes. She swallowed her breath. Tears met burgundy.

"Yuuki, that was—

"Cross, I left my backpack on the side. Hand it back to me." She turned her head. It was Zero, with that nonchalant look on his face. He pointed behind her, indicating with his index finger. She looked over her shoulder to find a white knapsack. Ignoring Kaname's burning gaze, she moved over to grab the bag, clumsily taking the backpack in her hands. She nearly flew to Kiryu's side.

"I'll take you somewhere," he said, reaching not for his backpack, but Yuuki's wrist. She looked at him in shock, but found that he was not looking at her, but at Kaname. There was something insincere in his eyes that made Yuuki want to run. But she didn't, because it would mean that she would be stuck with Kaname. Once they walked past the corner, she snuck a look back on Kaname, who seemed stunned. She turned back, head facing the ground. It still hurt her heart to see him.

His hand felt warm against hers. But she didn't have much time to ponder on it. His strides were wide and swift compared to her short and slow ones. The fact that he was pulling her along did not help in the least bit, not when he refused to slow down. But then, he released his grip and she nearly fell to the ground. He had his hands placed in his pants pockets and without looking at her, he spoke in his indifferent voice. "Cross, you like Kuran, don't you?"

"What?"

He appeared to have fixed his gaze upon a tile on the ceiling. "Do you know what he truly is? Even if it is a Cross I'm helping, against Kuran—

"What do you know of Kaname-san?" she retorted, "You know nothing about him so shut up you idiot!"

That was when his eyes were focused on her again, forcing her to step back until she felt her back against the cold wall. She shook, despite the fact that she was perfectly warm in Kaname's jacket. She heard his soft footsteps coming closer to her until he was less than a few inches away. It wasn't even a foot away this time. She could hear, no, she could feel his breath upon her face. Somehow, like the fool she was, she managed to get Kiryu angry at her. She willed herself to look to the left and right.

Nothing. There was no one around, save her and Kiryu. Then suddenly, his hand snaked to her neck. It was neither a tight or loose grip. She felt her body grow cold. Yuuki tried to step back, forgetting that there was a concrete wall against her. And to this day, she still could not figure out what gave her the courage to look into his eyes. She remembered them clearly, the clouded look his eyes held. It scared her immensely, that someone like that was considered to be her family's enemy.

Her mind ran in circles. If he killed her right now, it might have appeared as a normal family feud. Obviously, she would have lost, since she would be dead. But, besides that, there was no punishment. The rules of the world stated nothing against punishment about murder when two families were officially declared to be enemies.

Death. The word swam into the inner holdings of her mind and repeated itself, over and over again. Yuuki could not tell how much time had escaped through the time Kiryu held her neck. Was he planning to snap her neck? Would Kaname be sad? Would he care, now that he had someone else? Tears seeped through her eyes, dropping on Kiryu's hand. A sniff escaped through her mouth.

As if that had broken the spell, Kiryu released his hand. He grabbed his backpack, the one that Yuuki was gripping tightly. He pried her fingers away from its strap. "You cry too much, Cross."

Like nothing had happened, Kiryu Zero strolled down the hallway, with his backpack around his shoulder. Yuuki sank to the ground a few seconds afterwards, her eyes still widen and with shock. She placed her hands over her face, taking the initiative to place her hand over her mouth. It was bad enough to cry once. She would not do another time.

_I can't cry because of a simple threat from Kiryu._

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Yuuki Cross returned to her class, having dried her tears in the restroom. She had removed Kaname's jacket and returned it to one of his friends, Aido. He did not comment much. Merely, he looked a bit annoyed, as if there was no reason why she would have Kaname's jacket. That was probably true, she thought. They were only friends. But she tried to not focus on it any further, since she still had class.

She was so glad when the teacher had decided to not pursue the matter any further. Yuuki returned to her row.

But that did little to stop Yori from rushing towards her and giving her hug, as if the world had ended.

"Are you okay, Yuuki? You look terrible!" Her voice was full of care and worry, as usual. Yuuki wondered how such a nice friend could come to know her.

Yuuki nodded her gently, "Yeah." Because she felt that a single word answer was not enough, and Yori had given her a worried look, Yuuki added more words. "I just…saw something scary."

She felt her friend's hands on her neck and flinched.

"These are handprints," she whispered. "Who?"

Yuuki shook her head, doing her best to follow the teacher's lectures. She took out her notebook from her backpack and grabbed out a pen. Hesitantly, she started scribbling the contents on the board until she felt a hand grab her elbow.

"Yuuki," continued Yori, her voice consistent and strong. It was like her to not like the matter go.

"I—

Yuuki hesitated once more. Yori was not part of her family. Her father wouldn't have wanted the family's secrets to escape. But, Yuuki stole a glance towards Yori, who had always been there for her. They were closer than friends; they were sisters. And, she felt the pain stab in her chest. It was certainly better than talking about Kaname and that blond woman, who looked so beautiful and divine.

"Kiryu Zero," she coughed out finally. It surprised her how much it felt like she was betraying the white-haired boy. In actuality, he had never harmed her. In fact, to an extent, he helped her.

"Him," said Yori, her eyes hardening at the thought of Zero.

"Well, he didn't really harm me," fidgeted Yuuki. She looked towards Yori, wondering if her friend was going to go away Zero. She certainly didn't want that to happen. If her friends were ever harmed before, she wouldn't know how to live with herself.

"Of course he wouldn't dare," said Yori. Yuuki nodded, knowing fully well that Yori was unaware with the rules that accompanied family feuds.

"We should tell one of the teachers," continued Yori, about to raise her hand, but was stopped. To Yuuki's surprise, it was not herself that had stopped, but Kiryu Ichiro. He stooped down, until he reached the eye levels of both Yuuki and Yori.

"What are you doing?" There was a musical tone in his voice. His hand was clearly the factor that prevented Yori from lifting her right hand. For once, Yuuki hated that they were sitting at the farthest end of the row. It would be hard for the teacher to take notice of them. The grip on her hand tightened, until Yuuki could see her friend's veins appear.

"Let go," said Yuuki. "She hasn't done anything to ruin your reputation."

He yawned, covering his mouth with his other hand. Then he grinned, "I don't want to."

Yori fidgeted, trying to free her hand from his grasp, "Let…go!"

Ichiro raised his two hands up in the air, looking as innocent as a thief caught in the act of stealing. Yuuki pointed to his seat, "Get away from us."

He shrugged, shooting them another grin before walking back.

"What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be a level above us?" asked Yori, massaging her right hand. Yuuki cringed at the color it had formed.

"I heard he was place behind," said Yuuki, knowing well enough that the reason could be to kill her. She sighed. Seeing Ichiro everyday was enough, but now, she had to see Zero as well. It was just her luck to see both. With both the Kiryus and Kaname bothering her mind, it was a miracle that she managed to sit still in her seat for the duration of the class period.

When the bell rang, she nearly jumped up from her chair, giving Yori a nice shock. Apologizing in a swift manner, she grabbed all her belongings and fled from the room. She promised to give Yori a better explanation tomorrow, when she had her heart figured out.

So that was how she ended alone once more, besides the school gate.

It was raining. And just like yesterday, Yuuki neglected to bring her umbrella. The only difference was that she was not waiting for Kaname. It felt different. But before she knew, she jumped down the stairs. Still without her jacket, the rain dripped heavily upon her shoulders. She imagined she might have appeared abnormal compared to the other students, walking merrily down the sidewalk with their umbrellas held in an easygoing manner.

For no valid reason, it irked her to no end. Even though today was the absolute worst day for her, everybody around her was so…joyful, for a moment, it disgusted her. But it soon disappeared and Yuuki berated herself for thinking such thoughts. It was her first time that she ever felt this way, and she sincerely hoped it would be her last.

It was her second time she fled from Kaname. When she spotted him walking down the gates, towards where she was, her legs splashed against the wet puddles and she was off. Running through the streets, everything seemed to be a blur, of umbrellas and raincoats. It was a miracle that when she slammed into someone, the both of them didn't simply slip and fall right in the middle of the streets.

Kiryu Ichiro. She cursed her own luck, already stepping back a few steps away from the white-haired male.

"Miss me already, Yuuki Cross?" His tone was far from comforting, being laced with sarcasm. He got up, much slower than Yuuki had. "You got my clothes wet."

"I-I'm sorry," she mustered up. _Leave._ Her mind was screaming at her to move her legs. If Kiryu Zero had almost killed her today, what made her think it was okay to talk with his younger brother?

"Well, it's not such a big problem, Cross," he said, sounding as if falling into a puddle was normal. "But you're wet too, aren't you?"

She nodded her head, but added, "N-Not really though."

"That won't do. You should come by the Kiryu mansion and dry yourself off…before you catch a cold," he said, curving the corners of his lips upwards. He grabbed hold of her wrist and started walking again, pulling her along. "My house is very close by." He laughed, and the only thing it accomplished was that it scared Yuuki even more.

"N-No, it's okay," she insisted, trying to free her wrist, which was grasped so tightly she could see her veins turning purple.

"I insist," came back the firm answer. It was then Yuuki knew that there was no way to escape. If she shouted, it would make it a big commotion, and Kaname would surely find out. It was the better alternative…she hoped.

True to his words, they arrived at the Kiryu mansion minutes afterwards. "Come on it," said Ichiro, opening the gates with his hands. Without warning, he grabbed Yuuki's sore wrist and nearly threw her in, locking the gates behind him.

If it wasn't raining and if it wasn't the Kiryu's mansion, Yuuki might have liked the place. The garden was decorated with an assortment of flowers, ranging from roses to dandelions. From first glance, she could see the delicate efforts placed in arranging the positions of the stepping stones across the flower garden.

"Pretty, isn't it?" commented Ichiro.

As Yuuki was about to answer, another voice caught her attention.

"Ichiro, what are you planning?" It was Zero. Really, it was surprising how she managed to recognized his voice in such a short span of time. "Yuuki Cross…" His gaze was on her. Rather, she noticed, he was staring at her left wrist, the one that Ichiro had been holding a few moments ago.

"Come with me," he said. She had half-expected him to seize her wrist and bruise it even more, like Ichiro had. It would prove how demented the two brothers were. But, he didn't. Instead, Kiryu Zero, her family's enemy and her potential murderer, stood fixed upon a patch of earth, the rain soaking through his colorless hair, waiting for her to follow him.

Hesitation filled her heart. The results would be the same regardless if she followed the first or second brother. But, there was something the way his eyes glinted in the rain and the gesture of his hands that set Kiryu Zero apart from his brother.

_Even if they were both demented murders bent on murdering her if given the opportunity._ Yuuki reminded herself, not waiting to lose sight of the true facts.

When she followed Kiryu Zero, his strides were slower this time and she found herself able to stand behind his shadows. (She had no desire to walk by his side and be forced to see his face. Or worse, talk to him.) So she was extremely relieved when Zero chose to remain silent for the duration of the walk and even more grateful that Ichiro disappeared into the main mansion. It appeared that she was walking towards the opposite direction, to one of the smaller houses. She didn't mind the arrangement one bit; after all, it meant there would be a lesser chance of her meeting anyone important in the Kiryu clan. Though, that was when she fought back a bitter laugh. There weren't a lot of people in the Kiryu family who could claim that they were of greater importance to Zero or Ichiro.

She noticed that the room they entered had a gigantic chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was the main source of lighting, which, as a result, made the room dimly lit.

"Bathroom's right down the hall. I have spare clothes that you can use once you change out of your wet ones," he said.

"Eh, I think it might be easier if I just go home," stammered Yuuki, who decided to dive into her bathtub when she arrived home. Her clothes were sticking onto her skin, and it only made it itchier.

Zero closed the door, "That's impossible."

"Why?" she argued, her voice slightly higher than before.

Zero edged towards the windows, pushing aside the curtains so that he could peer outside. "My parents returned home just now. If you don't want to risk death, then I would suggest that you stay put here. There are no servants around, so you would not have to worry about being found out. Take it as punishment for stupidly following prankster of a brother. If you're lucky, he won't reveal your presence."

"Why are you helping me?" she asked coldly, despite the fact that her heart was beating quite rapidly. "It makes no sense that you help a Cross."

His tone was not too different from hers. "It doesn't." He closed his eyes, as if he was pondering on something secretive, "Make a decision before I change my mind."

"I'll stay then," she said. She bit her lower lip; it was by pure luck that her father had been gone on a business trip for the past few days and wouldn't be back until next Monday. But, still, Yuuki was never one to back down when she was accused of something. "I did not come here of my free will."

"I was sure that Ichiro didn't point a knife at your throat and threaten you to follow him," he replied, his voice uninviting to conversation.

"W-Well, I—

"You didn't want to see your precious Kaname."

Her eyes glanced to the ground and she blinked, once. "I…" Just like that, Yuuki felt her voice gone. Was her determination so weak, that it'd be destroyed by mere words?

"As I stated before, bathroom's right down the hall, to the left. I'll bring your new clothes when I find them. Anything's fine, right? The style of clothing she has is eccentric compared to most." He closed the distance between the two and placed the back of his head against her forehead. "You're on your way to catching a cold." Then he had his back turned to her, casually disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

"Ah, I'm fine with anything…" said Yuuki, though she was zapped by a bit of interest concerning this person that Zero had referred to so offhandedly. Anyone who was a friend of the Kiryu family was, by default, her own enemy too, right? For a few seconds, the brown-haired girl merely stood in the living room, wringing the bottom of her shirt and allowing a few drops of water to soak into the expensive carpet.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Her troubles were somewhat mitigated when she soaked her body into the tub of warm water. She splashed her hands about, occasionally dipping her entire head into the lukewarm liquid. With the soap, Yuuki created several layers of fluffy foam and bubbles. She covered her hair with the smooth substance, rubbing her curls until she felt that the soap thoroughly covered her head. When that happened, she ducked her head in the water again.

She sighed. It definitely was the best to have a warm shower right after being drenched in the rain. And the rest of the day might have gone well too, if not for the fact that Kiryu Zero knocked on her door.

"Did you bring the clothes, Kiryu-kun?" she asked.

The doorknob rattled. "Who is this?"

Yuuki blinked. It was a female's voice.


End file.
